


Junkyard Lost Boys

by shyfoxes (orphan_account)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Friendship, Kid Fic, Mentions of Hunk & Lance's family, Orphans, mentions of keith's dad, tiny adventures zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 02:37:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14823633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/shyfoxes
Summary: Pidge befriends three lost boys living in a junkyard named Keith, Lance, and Hunk.





	Junkyard Lost Boys

**Author's Note:**

> here is my piece for Tiny Adventures Zine. This is the full piece for the fic I did. There was a 2k limit to the fic which can be found here ------>http://shyfoxes.tumblr.com/post/174483103283/junk-yard-lost-boys-zine-version

Pidge had seen them a few times now.

In the beginning, she had simply thought they were neighborhood boys. Why else would they be at the jungle gym at the heart of the neighborhood? Everyone who lived there came there. Allura and Shiro often met Matt here. The usual times Pidge had seen them, they were all hanging of a tire swing, spinning in quick circles and howling with laughter. They weren’t that different from the usual kids Pidge saw around.

To be honest, if it weren’t for her brother, she really wouldn’t even be out in the park in the first place. She burned too easily, only she seemed to attract bugs, and her nose was always stuffed up. It sucked.

But watching those three boys, all three of them trying to run up the slide from the bottom, Pidge had felt a little forlorn.

No one in her class liked her much. A few of the girls were nice to her, but she didn’t think she could call them friends. Pidge couldn’t even remember if she’d ever been to a birthday party. Well she had gone to Allura’s birthday party, but that’s because Matt and Shiro had gone to Allura’s birthday party, and Allura always saved some cake for her. Pidge liked Allura.

Pidge wondered if maybe these boys often went to each other’s birthday parties, or they hung around school together, trading snacks and secrets, and choosing each other to play with at recess.

Despite how interesting the books Matt gave her were, lately, Pidge couldn’t help but stare over the top of her book more than usual these days.

-

Pidge liked to think she was, as Matt said, “observant”. (She could spell that without trouble, too).

She had started to keep notes on those boys. For some reason, they were a lot more interesting than any of the other kids Pidge saw at the park.

For one thing, they seemed to be kind of like a pack, like wolves. That’s what the nature channel had said and Pidge could see it. The dark-haired one that wore red was the leader. He was often either at the front of the group, or he was bringing up the back and looking around like he was checking for something.

The skinny blue-clothed one with the loud voice was kind of like a second in command. Today he was arguing with Red about something. They went back and forth a lot, but Pidge could tell that Red really considered what Blue had to say. Even if he kept his arms crossed and was frowning a lot.

The yellow-clothed one, and the biggest of the three, was the one who kept the peace, like now, he stood between his two friends. He hooked his arms around their shoulders, looking between them. He seemed to always find a way to stop them from arguing. They both sagged under his arms, then slung arms around each other and Yellow, forming something like a circle and smiling at each other. They huddled, knocked heads and then fell back and laughed, loud and happy.

They eventually got up and started yelling about “Form Sword” and “Destroy the Asteroid!”

  
Pidge furiously jotted it down, making sure to draw a fire around Red’s sword.

-

Looking now, Pidge noticed - their clothes weren’t so great looking. Now that Pidge had realized it, they almost wore the same clothes every time she saw them. They weren’t bad, they were pretty clean, minus a few stains that Pidge guessed wouldn’t come out.

Matt had shirts like that. Despite their mom telling him he should just get rid of it already, Matt wasn’t about to throw out his favorite shirt just because of an old blood stain he got when he and Shiro had tried to play fight with Allura and she had, as Matt said, “destroyed them”.

But, their clothes just never seemed to change. Blue had even started to have his toes poke out of his shoes, kind of. Didn’t his mom see that? Sometimes Pidge’s mom would buy her shoes even when she said she didn’t need them. What was she doing with more than two anyway? It was too much! She only needed her Olkari Rockers.

Blue didn’t seem to mind anyway. He ran around just the same, waving around a cardboard sword like Red. Yellow sat atop the jungle gym, cackling evilly with an old sheet as a cape.

“Your reign of terror ends here!” Blue yelled.

“Not unless you can defeat my evil army!” Yellow yelled. He held a huge, raggedy stuffed animal over his head, and then threw it.

The other two boys screeched, making Pidge fully put her book down now, watching them. She watched the other two rolling and dodging as they tried to climb the slide. A few times one or both of them would be put in “time out” and the evil villain would get to collect his army under a time limit.

Matt nudged her in the side with his elbow. She looked up at him, the shine of his glasses faintly glinting as he grinned. “They’re pretty funny, huh?”

Pidge wrinkled her nose, glancing at the boys, then back at Matt. “They’re kind of interesting.” Was all she said.

Later when she was in her room, Pidge drew the three of them like they had been at the park, and before she could think otherwise, Pidge drew herself next to the yellow-clothed boy, shooting laser beams from her fingers.

-

The first time she learned their names, Pidge had gone with Matt and Allura to get ice cream. Shiro was away visiting his grandparents in the beginning of the summer. He did it every summer. Matt and Allura were shoulder to shoulder watching some video on alien discovery on Allura’s phone as Pidge sat on the other side of the table. A dollop of her salted peanut butter and chocolate ice cream dropped on her nose. She stretched her tongue out to try and lick it off.

It was when it was finally starting to slide down that Pidge had spotted them. They were huddled in a circle, heads knocking together and - counting money?

They looked between each other, stuffing their hands in their pockets and pulling out what looked like wrappers and lint. They all looked over at the ice cream store, brows furrowed and counted the money again. Pidge glanced at Matt and Allura and then slid out her seat towards them.

“What are you guys doing?” Pidge asked.

They looked at her, startled like they were surprised she had actually spoken to them. Now that she was standing near them, they seemed a little tall. They might have been like a year or two older. They were quiet a moment before Blue spoke.

“Uh, we’re trying to buy ice cream,” Blue said. “But we’re -”

“We’re fine,” Red cut him off. “We just can’t decide what flavor to get.”

“Just one?” Pidge asked. “Aren’t you all gonna get one?”

An uncomfy silence fell amongst them as Pidge looked at them all. Yellow fiddled with the hem of his shirt, both him and Blue glancing at Red who only glared back.

“Yeah. We are,” Red said, kind of meanly.

“Well, I can always give you some money,” Pidge said. Surprise bloomed on the three boys faces. Red looked uneasy. “But on one condition.”

“What?” Red said, lowly.

Pidge jutted her chin out. “I want to play with you guys!”

A slow grin broke out on Red’s face, then Blue and Yellow’s before they had agreed. Matt had been kind of funny when Pidge had asked him for more money for her friends (friends!) but with a nudge from Allura, he had forked the money anyway.  It was then that Pidge had learned their names, as the four of them sat at another table in front of Matt and Allura’s, eating their ice creams. They were, Keith, Lance, and Hunk, and they lived in the junkyard out by Balmera Street. But she couldn’t tell anyone ever!

-

Eventually, Pidge, using her super smart brain, found ways to totally stop Matt from making her go to the park with him, and sneaking out of her room to go and meet up with Lance, Keith, and Hunk to go their hideout. It was kind of hard at first, but Pidge was very good at hiding, thank you very much. Even hide and seek king himself Shiro had said that.

So, after totally being able to convince Matt that she was fine without him, she had a ton of books she had to get through, she promised not to tell Mom that Matt had left her alone, so long as he left her alone to read.

He had been uneasy, because Matt was like that. But then he had relented - another word Pidge had recently learned.  

Pidge would watch Matt head out, nearly stumbling each time he tried to get pedaling on his bicycle before he was gone. Pidge waited a good two minutes, before she was climbing out of her window and slinging her back on her bag and running towards the Meetup Spot outside Altean Sweets. There, Hunk and Lance would draw her in between them, Keith bringing up the front, and the four of them would high tail it to the Hideout.

The Hideout turned out to be literally inside the Junkyard. They lived in a shack that had been previously built up there by who even knows, but it had three cars on each side, excluding the entrance, and at least two of them had a car stacked on top of it. There was a little makeshift pathway lined by old bottles, that were mostly not busted. Even curtains were hung up even if they weren’t so great looking.

The door was an actual door, but the three of them always entered through the dog flap. Pidge crawled in after them, bumping into Hunk as she sped in.

Despite how the shack looked on the outside, the inside was incredible. There was a tv, a laptop, a radio, a bunch of old game systems conjoined together to create a super mega game system. In the center of the shack was, as Shiro had told Pidge, a kotatsu. It was worn and dinged up, missing a piece of the table top, but Hunk had said that it worked. It took him some fiddling, him and Keith, but everything in the shack worked one way or another.

From the side of the shack, Lance was shoving waffles in the funky Varkon toaster. Lance handed her a plate and told her to get ready. When they were done, the toaster launched the waffles, and all four of them dove to try and catch one. Pidge caught one, only for it to accidentally slide off and into Keith’s plate.

Lance waved a hand though, grinning. “Don’t worry, I’ll put more in!”

This time, when it popped out, Pidge climbed up Hunk’s back and caught it with her teeth. The cheering she got made her feel proud.

The kitty clock on the wall hit one hour before sundown, its eyes rocking back and forth as it rolled out the hours in meows. Reluctantly they all walked Pidge back to the Meet-Up Spot, with only the promise of playing again the next day to make it better. Pidge managed to climb into her window just to hear Matt’s Zelda playlist as he barreled his way home. A few minutes later Matt popped up, checking in and deducing that yeah, Pidge had not left her room.

Pidge grinned to herself. She was a genius.

-

Pidge learned a lot about her friends - she didn’t think she’d ever get sick of saying those words. She even got to buy four matching bracelets for each other - Red for Keith, blue for Lance, yellow for Hunk, and green for herself.

Hunk and Lance were friends since they were born. Keith used to live with his dad who used to fix cars. They lived in a shack once, too. Lance and Hunk used to live next to the beach. Hunk learned how to fix and fiddle with the things from his mom. Lance came from a big family with tons of older siblings. Keith was the one who found Hunk and Lance and made them a new family when he came by with his big umbrella. Keith kept his mother’s knife. Lance used to cook with his dad a lot, so he and Hunk often did the cooking. Keith was the only one who knew how to use a lighter.

They were alone. They often had to find ways to get money to buy food. Keith wished there were rabbits or something around, he would hunt them so they could save money.

Pidge wrinkled her nose, thinking.

Her friends didn’t have any parents to care for them, or big brothers, or a Shiro or an Allura. They just had each other.

They just had each other and a creaky shack, even if it was cool, and no one to tuck them in, or tell them about aliens.

When Pidge went home for the day, she tackled Matt at the door when he was coming in and clung on until he had settled the two of them down on the couch. A documentary on supernovas played in the background.

-

“Matt. Maaaaattt, wake up! I gotta tell you a secret!” Pidge hissed.

She shook at Matt’s shoulders, puffing her cheeks up when all he did was snore louder. Stomping her foot, one of his snores hesitated before starting again. She did it again and again, then started to jump on the bed, startling Matt from his sleep.  His voice shook as he called her name, scrambling to grab her.

“Shh, shh, Katie, what’s going on??” Matt whisper-shouted.

Pidge grabbed his face in between her hands. “I have a secret I have to tell you. Holt to Holt,” Pidge said. “Do you agree to agree to the terms?”

Matt blinked. “Uhhh. Yeah?”

“You can’t tell Shiro or Allura!”

“Okay, okay! What is it?” Matt said, sitting up.

Pidge took a deep breath, sitting on on her knees. “I’ve been sneaking out when you leave.”

“Katie - !”

“Shh! I’m not done! I’ve been sneaking out and meeting my friends. They live in the junkyard by Balmera street. The one with all the cars.”

“What friends do you have that live in a junkyard?” Matt said, incredulous.

“Cool ones! Their names are Keith and Lance and Hunk. They’re my best friends. But I’m worried, Matt. They don’t have a mommy or a daddy or a big brother or anything. Not even a Coran!” Pidge cried, grabbing the front of her brother’s pyjama shirt.

“No parents,” Matt repeated softly. “Are you sure of that?”

Pidge nodded. “I want you to meet them because you’ll know what to do. I can’t figure out how to help them, but you can. So please, please, can you come with me tomorrow to meet them?”

“In the junkyard? Will that be okay?”

After a while, the boys didn’t bother meeting Pidge at the meet-up spot. They just trusted she would come alone. It was a big step, especially with Keith who had been prickly about Pidge for like a month. She was taking a risk like this, bringing Matt. But Matt was smarter, even smarter than her right now. He could figure out what to do.

Matt sighed. Then he rested a hand to her head. He smiled. “Of course, little sis. I’ll come with you. Why don’t we bring some lunch when we do though?”

Pidge, tackled her brother in a hug, kicking her legs in excitement. “ThankyouThankyouThankyou!”

Matt shushed her, chuckling into the crown of her hair.

-

Holding Matt’s hand, Pidge steered him towards the pathway to the Shack. On Matt’s back was a backpack, full of snacks and foods, enough for four hungry kids, and Matt. Every so often, Pidge looked behind her, tugging on his fingers more insistently. Past the old truck head, and the stack of tables, the Shack came into view, the sound of the radio blasting through the tattered curtains. Matt squeezed Pidge’s hands, stopping short of the glass bottle walkway.

“Pidge, you know, I thought that maybe you were just playing pretend,” Matt said, sounding kind of funny. “You’re not, are you?”

“No, I did tell you,” Pidge said. “Hold on, I gotta give the secret password. Cover your ears!”

Matt covered his ears, watching as his little sister cupped her hands around her mouth and made a sound he could only hear a bit off. A similar sound came from inside the shack before the door was flung open and - the three boys Matt had bought ice cream for came out.

The smiles they had directed at Pidge gradually melted away as they looked up at Matt. Keith - Pidge had told him all their names and what they looked like - was looking at Matt like he wanted to gut him. He wasn’t sure eight year olds could gut people but he looked like he could. He crossed his arms, directing his glare to Pidge.

“You promised,” was all he said.

Lance and Hunk nervously looked between Pidge and Matt, and Keith. Keith grabbed Hunk and Lance’s hands, dragging them back towards the shack.

“You promised, Pidge! We trusted you!” Keith yelled.

“I know, but I had a good reason - “ Pidge argued. Pidge rarely cried, but Matt could hear the beginning of tears just from her voice. “This is my brother, please just meet him - “

“NO,” Keith cried. Hunk and Lance crowded behind Keith.

Matt held his hands up, taking a tentative step forward. Keith’s eyes narrowed on him. He brandished what looked like a very much real knife, one hand bracketing back against the doorway like he was a tiny barricade. Matt laughed nervously.

“Hey now, hey now,” Matt started.

“This is what dreams are made of,” Lance and Hunk sang. Keith kicked back, but Matt couldn’t help the grin that was breaking across his face.

“Right, just, everyone stay calm. Let’s talk, okay? Katie - uh, Pidge - and I brought snacks, so how about we eat some and talk a bit,” Matt suggested.

Matt shifted the bag around, unzipping it to show a large bag of prawn crisps. Lance and Hunk smushed their cheeks against Keith’s, trying to get a better look. Hunk pushed Keith’s knife hand down, holding his wrist gingerly. Lance held Keith’s other hand. They all looked at each other, a silent conversation going back and forth. Keith sighed, stepping aside and motioning for Pidge and Matt to come in.

“Any funny business and I’ll cut you!” Keith said.

Matt didn’t want to test how true that was, or why an eight year old had a very old, sharp looking knife. But he walked in with the bag in front of him, Pidge coming in close behind.

The inside was, to Matt’s surprise, very homey. A little cluttered, a little small, but definitely homey. The three boys sat around what was definitely a kotatsu. Despite how Pidge hesitated, Hunk patted what seemed to be Pidge’s usual spot, which she took eagerly. Matt sat himself a little behind Pidge. He dumped the food on the tabletop, watching with a bit of horror as the food was instantly taken, bags being popped open. They all reached across to dig their hands into each other’s, loudly chewing and laughing about something Matt hadn’t even caught. Behind them, a cartoon on what looked like an old antenna tv was playing.

Keith looked at him, crumbs on his mouth as he bored a hole into Matt. “Talk, you.” Keith said.

“Keith, be nice! He’s my brother,” Pidge huffed.

“Yeah, that’s me, Ka - Pidge’s brother, Matt. Nice to meet you guys.” Matt said. “What’re you guys doing out here?”

“Living,” Hunk said, simply. “And right now, eating!”

“Earlier, we were trying to plant stuff. My gramma had a garden and she grew all sorts of stuff, so we planted gummy worms,” Lance said. “We’re gonna have gummy worm vines.”

Matt nodded. “Sounds legit. Right anyway, so you guys have been here long?”

“Since spring,” Hunk said. “This is our home.”

“What about your families?” Matt asked cautiously. A silence fell on them.

Keith spoke first. “Not around. We’re family enough.”

They certainly seemed to act like it, from Matt’s point of view. Their clothes, what little they seemed to have, was hung up on a makeshift line outside a window. Their shoes were in a pile in a corner. Drawings upon drawings tacked on the walls showed the three of them, but also Pidge.

“Kind of like Lost boys, huh?” Matt thought out loud. “Junkyard Lost Boys?”

“That’s really cool! We were like, Paladins before but Lost Boys sounds cool, too. Pidge you’re a Lost Boy, too!” Lance cried.

Hunk and Keith looked excited, passing the name between themselves, giddy with a group name. Keith pulled a paper out and messily tried to write out the name.

“Okay!” Pidge agreed. “Matt is a lost boy, too? He can be a lost brother.’

Keith, Lance, and Hunk looked at each other. Then back to Matt. They grinned, all teeth and mischief.

“Not unless he passes the test,” Hunk said. “We can’t just let any big kid in the group!”

“Matt can do it, he’s the best! He nearly beat Allura once at arm wrestling!” Pidge said. She turned to her brother, “Right?”

The other kids looked at him, too, a twinge of hopefulness on their faces. Maybe without their knowledge. Matt figured that this was the exact moment, if anyone rewound and paused, that he had totally fallen and adopted three more little siblings.

“Of course. Bring it on!” Matt said.

All the kids cheered.


End file.
